Aimpoint vs EOTECH – Game Changers Video

If you want to increase your hip potential with your tactical carbine or your rifle, whatever that rifle may be. AR-15, AK M-1A, maybe a 14 SKS-FN of some sort, seriously, you ought to look into, perhaps, fitting on an optical sight

There are a lot of different optical sights to choose from. If your POU for your tactical carbine is maybe zero to 200 meters, which I consider a realistic engagement range for a WRL-type rifle or, or you law enforcement types, a patrol carbine, then you might want to look into a non-magnified sight kind of along the lines of this Aimpoint.

This is comp ML3. I have talked about it before. You may have seen me in the falling snow giving a brief review and summary of my preferences between the Aimpoint and the EOTech. Both of these are excellent sights and, in a lot of ways, this is like the EOTech versus AAK argument.

A lot of people who are passionate on both sides of the aisle. Please be respectful. The same rules apply, I mean, don’t get negative in your comments or I’ll just shut the comments down and, more importantly, I won’t be motivated to make more videos and my other time commitments will take precedence. So, please, if you’re an EOTech fan, right on, you chose well. Same for Aimpoint.

I’m going to give you my preferences, of course, it’s more interesting that way. Again, let’s go. First off. POU. Again, if you are going with a quick firing tactical carbine, something that you need to engage with quickly, I pretty much recommend going non-magnified. That pretty much rules out Acogs. At least the four power Acog, which I have some associates running and I’ve shot competitively against them, and they don’t like it for CQB, there is too much magnification.

Now, that four power Acog, when you go out to 100 yards, then it really comes into its own and maybe you are going to lose some precision with a non-magnified sight, like the EOTech and Aimpoint. You are going to have to decide. For me, I have decided that the Aimpoint, non-magnified, is pretty much going to satisfy the POU for certain guns, as you can see here.

Now, this one is riding in a LT-150 LaRue mount. This is a quick release, lever lock mount. I absolutely love it. I like all things that are LaRue’s. Super high quality. Quick release. Returns to zero – I need two hands for this. That’s an important point, too, guys , returning to zero. That means that I can switch back and forth, if I want to, between my irons and the optical sight, if I want.

However, with the LT-150 mount, I co-witness those sites. That basically means, this backup iron sight jibes perfectly through the lens of the optic, aligning with the front sight. That means that even if the optic is dead, I can do it. Actually, I misspoke, because this is folded under this particular setup here, so I would have to remove the mount, but it’s a quick enough thing to do too. Remove it and then pop your rear BUIS up. So, that’s a good mount. That kind of speaks to, perhaps, a disadvantage of the Aimpoint, and let’s get going.

You are going to have to get a mount for it unless you go with a newer Comp M4. The new Comp M4 is a new M68 CCO that the Army is using. Let me show you a picture of that real quick. I am going to kind of discuss its philosophy versus the one I have. There you go.

There is the Comp M4. I am in the SWFA website and guess what, that’s an expensive site. Guess what? All of these are. They are all expensive. I’ll speak about that in a minute. The wait. That has a combined, ready to go, mount. You are not going to have to spend money for an extra mount with a new M68 or Comp M4.

Sorry, I’m clipping this back in and I’ll get squared away here momentarily. Here we go. This one actually needed a mount. A LT-150 is what I am running, as noted there on the bottom. They are not inexpensive. Everything LaRue pretty much costs a fair amount of money. Sorry, LaRue, that’s just the way it is. It’s expensive, but it mounts very solidly and puts it at the exact eye level you want it, at least on a flat top AR-15.

If you are going on a different gun, go look at their web page to view the different mounts, and it’s not just LaRue, you can go to GG&G and Arms also has some mounts. There are some passionate people who feel strongly against one brand or another, however, I think most of them are pretty high quality and you would be able to slam it on top of your gun and be happy with it. I, myself, am a LaRue fan and that’s just the way I roll when it comes to mounts. I am willing to pay a little extra money to get a lot more quality and, more importantly, lightweight. This is indeed a very lightweight mount. By the way, there is an extra battery compartment down there. I like how LaRue always mills out as much metal as they can without sacrificing strength. It’s a big plus.

Speaking of plus’. What are the things that I like about the Aimpoint. Well, first off, I like that I can close it up. I mentioned that in the snow when I did the first review video on it. You can batten down the hatches on an Aimpoint. To me, that’s a huge plus. With an EOTech, not so much, at least with the current versions. You have the optics exposed to rain, snow, sleet, dust, mud and water, which might cause a problem.

Now, there are different ways to handle that. They do make a neoprene cover that you can cover the sight with. However, in my experience, things that are not attached to the gun tend to be lost readily. You can pretty much say, bye-bye, to that cover under combat conditions.

Here is another alternative that is in the Brigade Quartermasters Catalog. Page – I don’t know, where am I? – 68 or so. Those are windows that you can slam on there that fit the 511, 512, 551 and 552. They are spring operated front and rear covers that will prevent dust and debris from getting on your lens. It doesn’t look like they are waterproof though, and they also weigh about 3 ounces. So, that’s going to add to your load out weight if you opt for an EOTech.

By the way, I’m not going to get really bogged down in all of the different varieties of the EOTech. I’m going to talk generally about the EOTech and generally about the Aimpoint and then, as I go along, I’ll talk about the overall features each has. At least I’ll try to. I’m sorry, guys, I can’t cover all of the details. I’ll try to get most of it right. I don’t like how I can’t batten down the hatches on the EOTech. It doesn’t seem to be a problem for the troops out there, though. It gets glowing reports from the field. The guys absolutely love it, but that’s my preference

Another thing I like about the Aimpoint is it has a mechanical switch and what I mean by this is that it’s tactile. You can feel it rotate and go into the distance and actually, if it’s quiet, you can hear it. It has to be very quiet because it doesn’t make a lot of noise and nor would I want it to. You can feel it. It’s a click switch. I like that. The EOTech is press and hold. At least the current versions are. So, to turn the sight on, I am going to press one of the buttons and then, of course, I’ll up the brightness level to the desired level. This isn’t a bad deal.

Actually, I’m lying a little bit, because they are tactile. You can hear that. So, not bad. So, between the two, I like the rotating dial mechanical switch. That’s just my preference. How about the dot sizes and the sight presentation between the Aimpoint and the EOTech.

Well, honestly, that is a matter of personal preference. I’m going to start with EOTech on this one. I love the EOTech site. I like the 65 MOA Circle, with a 1 MOA dot so it’s going to give us a very fast presentation and precision at the same time – I’m trying to keep this aligned so you can see it. There we go. I really wish I had a black background. You could see it better. That’s a faster presentation.

Now, be advised, that is not a razor sharp holographic display. It is made up of what looks like little tiny pixels in the holographic image. They call it HWS Holographic Weapons Sight. Sorry to keep losing that sight. There we go. There are little tiny pixels that are projected to produce the image. That is a good animus point, I love it

How about the Aimpoint? Well, guess what, it’s just what it says. It’s an aim point. It’s a single dot. By the way, my preference for the dot – this is just nutnfancy – is a 2 MOA. I don’t like big old dots out there. The reason is that if you want to compensate for a small dot, just crank your brightness level up, guys. That’s easy enough to do. I like the precision of a smaller dot, if I have to engage a target that requires precision, I have that. I don’t mind it.

Again, both of these sights are shot with both eyes open. This is not a sight that you are going to close one eye and then aim, Beverly Hillbilly style or .Beverly Hills…. Talking about when you aim with Aimpoint or the EOTech, keep both eyes open. It’s not necessary to close your eyes. That’s the nature of the sight in going with a zero magnification variety. It is very helpful and very fast, if you use it properly.

One thing I love about the EOTech versus the Aimpoint, though, is if you are going to run night vision, this system might be a little bit better. That’s because it has a dedicated NV button here. So, if we slam on our night vision sight piggybacked on the rear of, perhaps, EOTech, then all that we would do to access night vision – again, I am not the EOTech expert – but I think you are just pushing the night vision button and viola. We are in night vision mode. You can’t see it, of course, because we are not wearing night vision goggles, or looking through a night vision scope. Then, we push it again, and we go back to daylight mode.

The Aimpoint is actually pretty easy to use, but there is one feature that I am not super fond of and that is to go through your night vision settings, you are just going to go clockwise and cycle through them until you get to your daylight mode. Not a player in this ML3 because anytime you see the L designation, like the Comp ML3, it’s a non-night vision mode or non-night vision sight, which will save you a fair amount of money. If you go in V-Aimpoint, you are going to be paying around $80 more, or something like that.

For my uses and my wallet, more importantly, I just went with the daylight scope, or the daylight Aimpoint, which works fine for me. I kind of wish Aimpoint had more brightness levels, at least this ML3. It goes plenty bright, but not quite as many levels as I would like it to have for the level of sight that it is. It’s not a big deal, but just a minor quibble there. Also, if you do have a night vision Aimpoint, it is quicker if you get a non-night vision if you are just going to do daylight use.

As I said, and I want to stress that point, so you guys understand what I am saying. In other words, if I need my sight on quickly, I don’t want to have to go through five or six clicks to get past my night vision setting before I get to my daylight mode. Follow? Therein lies the advantage of the EOTech system, a dedicated night vision button. At least on this model, the 553 or the SU-231, it is a military designation.

The advantage of the EOTech would be that it has the integrated lever lock, arm variety, right at the base. It has a 7 millimeter high base on it, that’s cool. However, it is going to add more weight. This one, with batteries, weighs out at, I believe, 13 ounces, the 553 with batteries. Without, it’s 12.3 ounces. So, not exactly light. You’re saying well, what’s the ML3 weigh? With batteries and the mount, it’s 11 ounces. So, it’s 2 ounces lighter than the EOTech. You know how nutnfancy is, sorry guys. I’m always about the lightweight when I can get away with it. Two ounces is nothing to sneeze at. It all adds up.

If you don’t watch your ounces on your tactical carbine with all of the crap you guys are throwing in it, you are going to end up with a 13½ pound gun and you are going to be scratching your head and wondering why. Dude, how did my gun get so heavy? Well, it got so heavy because you weren’t watching ounces. Same with backpacking. If you don’t watch it, the next thing you know is you are going to have an 80 pound pack. Oh, wait, I already have an 80 pound pack and I was watching ounces. That’s because I’m bringing a lot of crap along.

That’s a cool color, by the way, isn’t that nice? That 553. I love that color. This is a Sadley Missing’s sight, as well. Let’s talk about battery life, and this is where the Aimpoint, I think, really pulls ahead in the game. Sorry. That’s just the way it is.

This EOTech runs CR123 batteries, and that means this variety, right here. They last a good long while, at 1,000 hours or 1,100 hours is what EOTech says. I think, realistically, you are going to get more like 500 or 600 out of them. Talking to my buds. So, a little bit less than they publish.

The Aimpoint, the current generation and, actually, that M4, are rated for 80,000 hours. The Comp M4-IE, the new M68 CCO and this Comp ML3 is an impressive 50,000 hours. So, basically, if you are in a tactical situation, just turn your sight on and leave it on. A big advantage. I love that, and it is still using just a tiny little battery. A CR1 or 3N battery. That’s a small battery that is lightweight.

Now, that Comp M4 that I just showed you, that’s using a double A battery, which a lot of users overseas, for example, military types, like because that is a commonly available battery and they are going to get a lot of hours out of it. Again, 80,000 hours. Now, I told you how you can button down the Aimpoint. A big plus. I like that, to keep it clean and these are waterproof snap caps on the ML3, at least. There are different versions.

Again, there’s that older M68. This is a Comp M2, an original Army sight and also button down variety and it is waterproof. This is a running Comp M68 arms throw level mount. Decent. It is going to be an extra cost and extra weight, though. That’s an older one. That’s my buddy’s. He has had really good experience with it and he loves it. Same basic operation, just a mechanical knob there. When you button down those hatches, you can take the Aimpoint to depth, pretty much. This thing is really waterproof.

The new ones, like the Comp M4, are water rated down to 135 feet. That’s pretty good. This one is rated to, let me see, the ML3, I think, it is 80 feet waterproof. Actually, to 135 feet as well. This one is too. There are certain versions that maybe aren’t water rated as much, like the 9,000 SC. That’s kind of a long tubed Aimpoint. It has a 4 MOA dot with 50,000 hours of battery life, and that one is rated down just to 15 feet. The shorter ones, the military variety, I think, the Comp M2, Comp M3 and Comp M4, they are going to be waterproof at least to an 80 foot depth. Very nice.

How about EOTech? Now, again, a lot of us aren’t going to be swimming with our sights that deep but remember, this is the static water pressure we are talking about, not dynamic. So, dynamic water pressure means we are swishing it around so it’s probably going to be a lot less, but the 553 is waterproof to 66 feet. Most EOTech’s though are probably rated for around 33 feet, according to EOTech’s website. So, just a consideration there.

I’m going to unclip from the tripod, by the way, and show you some really cool variations of EOTechs that I think are going to change the mix a little bit. Give me just one second. First off, is the XPS2-1 or 2-0. That’s it right there. That one has a transverse mounted CR123 battery and they are touting 600 hours of battery life, with one battery. Look how tiny that thing is. It’s going to be lightweight too. Only 8.8 ounces. Lighter than a regular EOTech. I dig that. That’s a cool sight. I think it’s kind of new and still coming out and, guess what, like all cool things, it’s going to be expensive.

Here’s another thing to watch out. Certain models of EOTech’s have side mounted controls. I like that better than the rear-mounted controls. Especially if you are going to be running NV behind your sight. Those back mounted buttons tend to get in the way, if you are running night vision. That’s just been my experience in shooting different guns that were set up that way. This is what I am talking about. Here’s your rear-mounted. I would much rather have them mounted right on the side there. In my opinion, it would be much cooler.

That XPS sight that I just showed you, comes in different reticles too, which is different for EOTech. The 2-2, or was it the 3-2, I showed you is a standard 65 MOA radical, with a 1 MOA white dot and it has night vision capability. Then they have one that it is basically like an Aimpoint. It is the XPS 3-1 and it has just a 1 MOA dot and night vision capability, as well. The 2-1 – I hope I am not boring you – 1 MOA dot. So, that’s different for EOTech. Normally, it’s that 65 MOA Circle with a 1 MOA dot, which is actually a very nice aiming system. I love it.

How is the cost between these? Well, it’s splitting hairs, really. They are both expensive. You can make a case that the Aimpoint, at least this ML3, was more expensive because I had to buy a mount for it. That’s a true statement, because the ML3 does not come with a mount and that the LaRue mount is expensive. I won’t say exactly how much, but it isn’t cheap.

The new Comp M4, you saw. What was that, $700 and something dollars – 68. You can probably find the new Comp M4 for around $700 bucks, but still, that is a lot of money. They are just not cheap, and it is a hard thing to justify for a lot of people. I just don’t know if I want to spend that much on an optical sight. Let me to talk about that. Why would you want to do that?

Well, it gets to the part when you absolutely, positively have to have a sight that works, you are going to have to spend some money on it. Here I am speaking from experience. You can go ahead and buy different sights and, just because this one is handy, I’ll pick on it.

Here is a Burris speed dot, 135. I think it’s an excellent high value, red dot sight. A 3 MOA variety and, no, I am not going to take it out of the box, but you have probably have seen it on top of a Kel-Tek that I shot that had one of these. Good sight. I will tell you, though, it is not to the level of either of these sights. It’s not mil- spec quality. It’s not waterproof to the level. The electronics are not as solid state as these are. These electronics, generally, will not fail you. If they have, I haven’t heard about it.

That level of life sustaining reliability is going to cost you some money. That’s just the way it is. That’s why I was finally, after saving up – it took me years to afford this guys. This isn’t something that I just went out and thought, oh, yeah, I think I’m going to buy me an Aimpoint. No, it hurt. When I spent that much money on one sight, plus the mount, it stinks. It is a lot, but with it I get a lot of capability. Excuse me, and it’s going to be a sight that will last the rest of my life as, in my opinion, all sights should be.

As you can see, Sadley Missing is doing the same thing. He bought his old Comp M2 many years ago and here he is, still trucking along with it. It just lasts and lasts and lasts. So, the higher price you will have to pay for it probably will be forgotten, as the years go on. Always look for the good deals, though. Always look for the good deals.

There are different ways to do that. You might have an FFL buddy that might be able to order for you a sight at dealer cost in some ways. If you can get it for a military price from different sources, I highly recommend that too.

So, let’s summarize. I think I hit most of the points. Again, I didn’t go over all of the different varieties of the EOTechs and all of the different varieties of the Aimpoint. This is kind of a broad stroke review to give you something to think about.

Advantages to the EOTech would be the awesome sight picture of that 65 MOA sighting circles very fast. It has an integrated throw lever mount. Some guys will like the button system better than an Aimpoint. Especially if you get a left rear-mounted button system, they’ll love that. One thing that I forgot to say about the EOTech is that it has a very wide field of view, more so than the aim point. A lot of guys like that, it’s like a television screen. It’s very armored, there is no way you are going to ding it or bang it. This is anodized 7,000 series aluminum that armors the EOTech sight. It is extremely tough. The front portion is made of glass. The rear portion is made of that acrylic or super tough plastic, or whatever it is. It’s just built like a tank. A well made sight.

The disadvantages would be the battery life on several models is diminished. They are improving that, as you saw with that one model I just showed you. The XPS-2, and they are coming up to not quite the level of Aimpoint, they are not even close yet, but at least they are making some advances in battery life and it generally tends to be heavier and, in some cases, a bulkier sight. Depending on which one you go with.

In a lot of ways, I have always liked the 512. No, not the 512, the one that has the little tiny batteries. The 511. It only has 200 hours of battery life, but that thing is munchkin size. It is very tiny and it only weights 8.8 ounces. It is basically the same size and weight as that XPS-2 I just showed you. So, that in a nutshell, the EOTech. Great sight system, not perfect, but neither is Aimpoint’s, if truth be told.

You know, the good points on the Aimpoint are I like the tactile switch. That’s just me. Call me crazy. Everything is attached. You see they have retention things. You are not going to lose anything. You can batten down the hatches with Aimpoint. It’s more waterproof and it has at least 50,000 hours of battery life if you go with one of the later models and 80,000 hours if you go with a Comp M4. That’s just an astounding battery life.

The quality levels are the same as EOTech. I can’t say that they are any less. These things are built like tanks. The electronics won’t fail you. They are just of super high quality. The disadvantages would be lack of field of view. Although, I tend to think that when you are shooting with both eyes open, it is less of a factor because you just won’t notice it, especially under stress.

Some guys will like that. They will like the larger field of view of the EOTech a little bit better. Also, it is a lighter weight system, generally speaking. Now, with a Comp M4, where it goes with a double AA battery and the integrated base, the weights are going to be about the same, so the weight issue is going to become moot at that point.

The cost issue, I’m going to call that a draw as well. They are both pretty much around the same cost. However, with the new advancements of both sight makers, it’s going to kind of narrow the gap.

The one thing I forgot to say that is downside on the EOTech is that to me, nutnfancy is huge, the lack of optical protection to batten down the hatches. I’m not worried about these things breaking. I’m just worried about a big chunk of mud getting in there, if I fall down, and I’m going to have to scrape that out and clean off the optics so I can shoot. If my Aimpoint was butt down when I went head first into the mud fest, all I would need to do is pop my caps and I’m ready to rock and roll.

So, for me, still, even with the advancements, I do prefer Aimpoint, but it is a close race. I wish I had money enough to have an EOTech, because I really love that sight picture. I think I covered it all. I probably didn’t.

If there is something I missed, I will put it in annotations. Thanks guys. Nutnfancy. Signing off with a tabletop review, as requested by many between the EOTech and the Aimpoint aiming systems. Maybe I will do an Acog one later.